My Prince of Tennis has a high proficiency level.

Shibukawa, who had devoured a large bowl of tonkotsu ramen in one go at the ramen shop on the first floor, looked up at the ceiling and smiled.

Today's boxing practice certainly paid off for him. Not only did he unlock new skills, but his experience points also increased rapidly, reaching level 3 in just 3 hours and increasing his strength by 0.3.

Given his physical condition, he probably wouldn't have reached his limit even if he continued training for another hour. The reason he left was that he didn't want Sengoku to feel too frustrated.

While his talent may not match Akutsu's, he is still one of the few top fighters in the original story. In any other team, he could easily be a core player.

With Yamabuki having him and Akutsu in charge, Sengoku is also a figure that cannot be ignored.

If properly nurtured, Sengoku could definitely become one of the three giants of Yamabuki. Even if his potential isn't as high as it was during his U17 years, he'd still be more than capable of handling the national tournament against junior high school students.

Moreover, A+ level potential is not low in itself. If Sengoku finds a tennis path that suits him well, he might be able to keep up with the progress of the top tier.

"Boss, check please."

As Shechuan got up to pay the bill, he was considering whether to jog back or go home to rest before coming out for his nighttime practice when a flyer was suddenly handed to him.

"Hello."

A girl of about fifteen or sixteen years old smiled and asked him, "Would you be interested in enrolling in our kendo dojo's winter training program?"

kendo?

Looking at the flyer in the girl's hand, Shibukawa paused for a moment, nodded slightly, and took it.

He remembered very clearly that in the original work, the vice-captain of Rikkai University, who was known as the "Tennis Emperor" Sanada, was best at kendo outside of tennis.

Of the six secret techniques the opponent possessed, "Swift as the Wind" and "Moving like Thunder" are both derivative skills of Kendo. Even later, during the U17 period, Sanada mastered the higher-level tennis technique "Black Dragon Double Slash," which is essentially an extension of Kendo into the tennis field.

For Shibukawa, who possesses the [Proficiency Panel], progressing from beginner to proficient in kendo, and even reaching the final level of perfection, is merely a matter of time.

The only problem is whether there is enough time to wade through Sichuan.

His energy is ultimately limited. In addition to his original skills, he is now practicing two new skills: [Short Step] and [Boxing].

In other words, his panel is more user-friendly, without the grid restrictions of the placement system.

However, being too distracted is a problem that cannot be ignored.

After careful consideration, Shibukawa glanced at the kendo dojo's opening hours—"9:00 AM to 10:00 PM"—and headed towards the address.

no way.

He was too eager to improve.

Although his five-dimensional attributes are already quite powerful, the thought of the overpowered abilities in the original work gives him no reason to slack off.

...

The next day.

Sengoku, dragging his tired body, sat down in his classroom seat, grimacing.

damned!

If he had known that boxing training would cause such muscle soreness, he would never have continued for the last half hour. But he chose this path himself, and he would see it through even if he had to crawl on his knees.

However, to Sengoku's surprise, when he arrived at the tennis club during the afternoon club activities, he found that Shibukawa also looked somewhat tired.

"really."

"Even an Iron Man would turn to molten iron under that intensity of training. Even Shibukawa would get tired!"

Sengoku breathed a sigh of relief.

At least in his view, the target he was chasing was not a real monster, and the other party also had its limits.

He overlooked the few barely noticeable red marks on Shibukawa's arm, assuming they were just injuries he had sustained while practicing boxing.

But in reality, this was an injury that Shibukawa sustained yesterday at the kendo dojo when he was practicing as a beginner and was injured during training by a senior student who had been practicing for two and a half years.

Of course, his opponent's injuries were no less severe than his.

Unlike the man who was furious at being defeated by a beginner, Shibukawa was quite satisfied with raising the new skill [Kendo] from lv0 to lv3 through a private duel and gaining another 0.3 in the five-dimensional attribute of Strength.

In just one day, his five-dimensional strength attribute increased by 0.6. Combined with his previous accumulation, his five-dimensional strength has increased to 2.9, and his technique has even broken through to 4.5.

Now, his total five-dimensional attributes have officially surpassed 15 points. This rate of improvement is in no way inferior to Akutsu, who possesses SS+ level talent.

Of course, as his skill levels increase, the speed at which his five-dimensional stats break through will gradually slow down. But Shibukawa didn't care too much, because in addition to the bonuses from skill upgrades, his own training would also increase his five-dimensional growth.

Secondly, he can accumulate five-dimensional values ​​by learning new skills after hitting a bottleneck.

People always say that you can't bite off more than you can chew, but for Shibukawa, who has a proficiency panel, there is no limit as long as he can gain the panel's approval.

That afternoon.

The final round of the selection competition is underway.

Those who lost two games were basically out of the running, while those who only lost one game were bursting with energy, trying to seize their last chance.

Ultimately, the eight finalists were selected.

They are Shibukawa and Uesugi from Group A, Mizuki and Minami from Group B, Higashikata and Niitobe from Group C, and Akutsu and Sengoku from Group D.

None of the eight regular players advanced from the first year.

This also relieved Muromachi and Yuta, who were constantly competing with each other. The two weren't exactly on bad terms, but for them, the fact that another person had been promoted to the starting lineup was more painful than killing them.

"It's alright, Kita."

In the crowd, Shintobe Inakichi comforted another boy with a middle parting in his hair.

Of the eight regular players selected this time, besides the absence of any first-year students, only former captain Uesugi remains from the third year. Under these circumstances, Shinto Mitsuko, the team's second regular doubles player, has lost his partner.

However, he didn't think too much about it. It was a good thing for the team to absorb fresh blood; both Akutsu and Mizuki were very strong players.

Furthermore, as a master of data-driven strategies, Mizuki is naturally suited for doubles. Shinto Mikoto would actually be very happy if she were paired with someone from the same team.

However, besides Mizuki, Shinto had another partner in mind, namely the first-year teammate named Kita Kazuma in front of him.

"Just treat this as a regular practice match. With your talent, you'll definitely be a starter when the season starts next year."

"I know, senior, you don't need to comfort me."

Kita Kazuma's reaction was calm, because he had already anticipated this outcome. In fact, both Yuta from Group A and Muromachi from Group B were superior to him in singles.

In a one-on-one fight, he had no confidence that he could beat both of them.

Neither of the two advanced, so he wasn't upset at all.

"That's for the best."

Shinto nodded and prepared to leave for his training session at the main selection area. However, his former partner had been eliminated, and there was no one in the main selection who could team up with him.

Having no other choice, he approached Mizuki and invited her to team up with him for a doubles match.

"Sorry, I have other things to do."

Mizuki directly declined the invitation. Just as Shinto was feeling bewildered, Mizuki smiled and said, "However, I can recommend someone to you."

"who."

"Kita Kazuma".

As Mizuki spoke, she glanced at the boy training diligently not far away: "His talent in doubles is quite high. If you really can't find a partner, you can consider teaming up with him in doubles."

"The problem lies with the minister..."

"That was his suggestion."

Guan Yue smiled slightly.

This was indeed Shibukawa's suggestion, even though Kita didn't become a regular starter. But in the original work, his partnership with Niitoba was still quite outstanding.

They defeated the Fuji and Kawamura duo from Seigaku in the tournament, even though their doubles teamwork wasn't particularly strong. But Fuji was still Fuji, and the value of his "genius" title was undeniable.

Given Yamabuki's current state, it's essential to develop a stable doubles lineup as soon as possible. Based on this, they could add Mizuki and Sengoku to a mixed team with Muromachi and Yuta, or simply have the two of them form a team.

This can increase the variability of Yamabuki's doubles, making them less predictable by other teams.

Furthermore, with the implementation of the new rules, the players' enthusiasm has increased even more. The team is in a thriving and vibrant state.

This is the end.

Yamabuki has essentially completed the basic formation of a team capable of winning the national championship next year. Everyone is looking forward to the new season.

Chapter 72 Increased Strength, Secret Cooperation

In the blink of an eye.

November has ended.

As December arrives, the weather in Tokyo is getting colder.

night.

Yumi's Bakery.

Yuki, after finishing her shift at the coffee shop, comes to help her best friend as usual.

"Yumi-nee, isn't that strange?"

While cleaning up the kitchen, Yuki said happily, "I haven't received any complaints from the school teachers lately. That kid, Ren, hasn't caused any trouble."

"Really?"

Yumi was also somewhat surprised.

Akutsu was someone she had watched grow up; she knew his personality very well—he was definitely not someone who could stay idle. Even if things were calm for a few days, he was definitely brewing something mischievous.

That was the case last year.

Akutsu, who had just started junior high school, behaved himself for a while. Just when the two thought the other had changed his ways, a teacher from the school came to their door, saying that Akutsu had gotten into a group fight with some thugs from outside the school.

Yuki was terrified at the time.

Just as she was about to go find Akutsu and take him to the hospital, the teacher gave her a strange look. After hearing the teacher's explanation, the two understood the truth: Akutsu had single-handedly defeated a large group of off-campus thugs.

Yuki breathed a sigh of relief.

But Yumi knew that from then on, Akutsu would definitely become a bully both inside and outside Yamabuki School. Sure enough, from then on, Yuki would receive calls from teachers every few days.

However, since the matters weren't considered serious, she turned a blind eye. But both of them knew that once they entered middle school, Yuuki would no longer be able to discipline Akutsu.

And now, a similar situation has occurred again.

This worried Yumi about Akutsu, and she was also afraid that Shibukawa would get involved. Just as she was about to ask for details, she heard Yuki laugh:

"You wouldn't believe it, Ah Ren joined the Yamabuki tennis club. And he even became a regular starter on the team."

"The team's starting lineup?"

Yumi's mind didn't quite process it at first.

It's not her fault; people familiar with Akutsu would find it really hard to associate him with the word "team starter."

"and many more."

Then it dawned on her, "If I remember correctly, isn't Nobuo the captain of Yamabuki?"

"correct."

Yuki laughed and said, "I called Mr. Banta from the Yamabuki Tennis Club, and he said that Ren is training very hard. Also, Shin, as the team captain, is doing very well. Mr. Banta really praises him."

"Tennis club...Mr. Banta..."

Yumi paused, a look of confusion in her eyes. Then, a pang of shame washed over her; after the last incident, she hadn't even inquired about Shibukawa's situation in the tennis club.

"Don't overthink it, Yumi-nee."

Knowing her personality well, Yuki immediately shook her head and said, "You're busy with things at the shop every day, unlike me who's so free. Besides, Shin is much more honest than Ren, so there's no need to worry about him at all."

Even so, Yumi still felt a little guilty. She had decided that when she had time, she would definitely go to the Yamabuki tennis club to see how her son trained.

...

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

at the same time.

In the dimly lit street not far from the bakery.